Competition Commission report (33 pages, PDF) setting out its "emerging thinking" on the inquiry into classified directory services. This follows from the statement of issues in August 2005. The timetable has been slightly extended: provisional findings are now due at the end of March 2006 and the final report planned for August 2006, according to the administrative timetable (1 page, PDF).

The inquiry group's main thoughts at this stage appear to be that newspaper and Internet classified advertising do not provide effective competitive constraints on traditional directories and that Yell is likely to have market power, but that "the extent to which such market power might affect the level of prices" needs to be considered. The group has "begun to consider the nature of competition in the market" and intends to use profitability evidence in its analysis.